With the filing deadline quickly approaching will more candidates enter Elk Grove City Council, Mayoral races?
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2022/08/with-filing-deadline-quickly.html
This year voters in two Elk Grove City Council districts have the infrequent opportunity to select a new representative at city hall.
Even though open seats on the Elk Grove City Council have happened twice without an incumbent seeking reelection since 2002, interest is scant. Readers will recall in 2014, there were three candidates for District 4, and in 2020, there were four for District 3.
With the candidate filing deadline on August 12, there are, to date, only two candidates for District 2 and one for District 4. The District 2 race, which had three candidates, now has two Democrats, business owner Felipe Martin and Cosumnes Community Services District Director Rod Brewer.
While other candidates could enter this race, especially a Republican, given the district is the center of Elk Grove's GOP base, perhaps the $100,000 Martin has already personally committed to his campaign has discouraged others.
More interesting is that only one candidate for District 4, Democrat Elk Grove Planning Commissioner Sergio Robles, has declared candidacy. A question worth considering is whether Robles will be unopposed.
Given Robles is not an office holder, it would be stunning if he faced no challenger. After the June primary, where he was eliminated from the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 5 contest, one office holder opined that they believed former Elk Grove City Councilmember and Mayor Steve Ly would throw his hat in the ring.
Even though Ly has been quiet since being eliminated, it is worth considering. Ly still has $25,000 in his campaign account, which would match Robles' funds, and in a by-district race, that could be sufficient.
Furthermore, Ly had shown an uncanny ability to raise funds quickly, as he did when he first ran for Mayor on similarly short notice in 2016. Of course, he was a member of the Elk Grove City Council during his first mayoral campaign, which helped with the donor class.
Nonetheless, he still has an extensive nationwide pool of individual donors he could tap. And during the June primary, one of the other three precincts he won over fellow Elk Grovians Pat Hume and Jaclyn Moreno was in District 4
A race for District 4 between Robles and Ly would certainly generate considerable chatter among the political class in Elk Grove and, from our perspective, would be interesting to observe. But as noted, Ly has been quiet, and only one insider thought his candidacy was possible.
As for the Mayor's race, incumbent Bobbie Singh-Allen has only one declared candidate, Brian Pastor, who ran for Mayor in 2020 and came in third place. Singh-Allen has superior financing and name recognition.
Unless another well-funded candidate enters the race, which doe not seem likely at this point, Singh-Allen should easily roll to victory. It will be noteworthy how much assistance - read money - she contributes to political allies Brewer and Robles.
We would be remiss if we did not consider another former Elk Grove City Councilmember and Mayor, Gary Davis, who could jump in the next several days. Since his last-minute exit from his 2016 mayoral reelection campaign, Davis has wanted back in the game.
Indeed, Davis entered the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 5 race but dropped out when his former city council colleague Pat Hume entered that contest. More recently, Davis was hoping to run for the District 4 seat, which he formerly occupied, but political fate intervened, and his primary residence was placed in District 2 by just yards.
So close, but yet so far!
It will not be surprising if Davis or Ly jumps back in the ring. And, of course, others below the radar could declare their candidacy in the coming days.
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I agree that Mayor Singh-Allen will probably be reelected, but if she has any political sensibilities, she should not take anything for granted.
A case in point is 2008 Elk Grove City Council candidate, Ms. LaWanna Montgomery. With essential no money, a few signs, and the credentials that make our current crop of city council people look like Rhodes Scholars by comparison, Ms. Montgomery captured 42% of the vote in the two candidate race.
Even though Cooper won, it foretold his 2010 defeat for Sacramento County Sheriff. I would guess if you have seen lots of Ms. Singh-Allen after she became mayor, hold on because she will be going big on social media.
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